DOLE revokes order on partially lifting ban to 3 countries
After raising the hopes of overseas Filipino workers aspiring for jobs in Nigeria, Lebanon and Afghanistan, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) again dashed their hopes two days later when it recalled a department order partially lifting the ban on the deployment of OFWs to the three countries.
The DOLE said the order was revoked due to the "inconsistent foreign policies of the Arroyo Administration."Upon orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, DOLE has put on hold Department Order No. 86-7 signed November 15, 2007 which partially lifts the deployment ban to Afghanistan, Nigeria and Lebanon and issuing guidelines on the manner of deploying workers to those conflict areas.
The order would have opened the doors to thousands of Filipinos who want to work in Afghanistan in the coalition bases, the International Red Cross, the Red Crescent and other UN related organizations involved in the reconstruction and development of that country, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
The order also states that Filipino workers may now be deployed to Nigeria especially near the urban cities and in case the job-site is Niger Delta the Office of the Secretary would study the application on a case-to-case basis.The Lebanon situation will allow the departure of household service workers under the new policy of $ 400 US dollars minimum salary and those international organizations or offices willing to give work contracts under the new policy.
The recruitment industry is incensed that DOLE and the Administration find it so easy to recall department orders without any reasons at all.
"The opportunity to earn dollars for their families and help in the building up of dollars reserves which have contributed to the rise in the peso against the dollar has been denied our OFWs," recruitment agencies lamented.
Some 4,000 documented OFWs who have been working in Iraq for the past six years want to come for Christmas; however, the OFWs want to return to work after the holidays.Filipino contract workers for Prime Projects International whose contracts with the US Armed Forces for the operation and maintenance of US bases want DOLE Secretary Arturo Brion to clarify his statements over the radio over the weekend in which he said that vacationing workers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Nigeria would be allowed to come for home for the holidays and return to their jobsites.
The Filipino workers in Iraq do not want a repeat of what happened to 600 workers who came home for a Christmas vacation in 2001 but were prevented to return to Iraq due to the deployment ban enforced in July 7, 2001 over the Angelo de la Cruz kidnapping, a truck driver based in Saudi Arabia delivering logistics to Iraq.
Most of them found their way back to their jobsites through the borders of Kuwait and flights from Dubai to Baghdad.After the Iraq war in 2000, six thousand Filipinos were deployed to the war-torn country before the ban to participate in the US $ 50-billion infrastructure and development projects given to multi-national construction companies.
Some five thousand more have skirted the ban through Kuwait and Dubai to work in heavily-paid jobs offered by scores of maintenance and construction companies.
The DOLE said the order was revoked due to the "inconsistent foreign policies of the Arroyo Administration."Upon orders of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, DOLE has put on hold Department Order No. 86-7 signed November 15, 2007 which partially lifts the deployment ban to Afghanistan, Nigeria and Lebanon and issuing guidelines on the manner of deploying workers to those conflict areas.
The order would have opened the doors to thousands of Filipinos who want to work in Afghanistan in the coalition bases, the International Red Cross, the Red Crescent and other UN related organizations involved in the reconstruction and development of that country, according to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).
The order also states that Filipino workers may now be deployed to Nigeria especially near the urban cities and in case the job-site is Niger Delta the Office of the Secretary would study the application on a case-to-case basis.The Lebanon situation will allow the departure of household service workers under the new policy of $ 400 US dollars minimum salary and those international organizations or offices willing to give work contracts under the new policy.
The recruitment industry is incensed that DOLE and the Administration find it so easy to recall department orders without any reasons at all.
"The opportunity to earn dollars for their families and help in the building up of dollars reserves which have contributed to the rise in the peso against the dollar has been denied our OFWs," recruitment agencies lamented.
Some 4,000 documented OFWs who have been working in Iraq for the past six years want to come for Christmas; however, the OFWs want to return to work after the holidays.Filipino contract workers for Prime Projects International whose contracts with the US Armed Forces for the operation and maintenance of US bases want DOLE Secretary Arturo Brion to clarify his statements over the radio over the weekend in which he said that vacationing workers from Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon and Nigeria would be allowed to come for home for the holidays and return to their jobsites.
The Filipino workers in Iraq do not want a repeat of what happened to 600 workers who came home for a Christmas vacation in 2001 but were prevented to return to Iraq due to the deployment ban enforced in July 7, 2001 over the Angelo de la Cruz kidnapping, a truck driver based in Saudi Arabia delivering logistics to Iraq.
Most of them found their way back to their jobsites through the borders of Kuwait and flights from Dubai to Baghdad.After the Iraq war in 2000, six thousand Filipinos were deployed to the war-torn country before the ban to participate in the US $ 50-billion infrastructure and development projects given to multi-national construction companies.
Some five thousand more have skirted the ban through Kuwait and Dubai to work in heavily-paid jobs offered by scores of maintenance and construction companies.
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